History of Germany

The History of Germany as a country

The History of Germany as a country start when Germany forms part of the Holy Roman Empire being his first emperor Otto I in 962.The Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther against the Catholic Church, mark the end of The Roman Empire, dividing Germany into many independent states, such as Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony. 

After the French Revolution

After the French Revolution, the German state fought for its liberty against Napoleon’s army. The defeat of feudalism brought the Industrial Revolution which led Germany to a rapid growth in the fields of science, humanities and arts. The German Empire was formed in 1871 under the leadership of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Germany in the year 1900

By 1900, Germany had grown enormously and had a strong economy as Britain. In 1914 started the First World War against France, Great Britain, Russia and the United States, loosing Germany this war in 1918, had to pay the reparations of The Treaty of Versailles imposed by the victorious nations, dividing again the country, which lead to the establishment of the Weimar Republic, an unstable parliamentary democracy that lasted for fourteen years.

Germany in the year 1930

In the 1930s, the great worldwide depression affected Germany which led to the crash of the system. Adolf Hitler took power on January 30, 1933 and established a centralized totalitarian regime.

The Nazis took control of Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, and its invasion of Poland initiated the Second World War where more than 60 million people were killed, it was the deadliest conflict in the Human History. After many efforts by the United States, British, France and others, the German army was pushed back on all fronts and collapse in May 1945. The Nazi government lasted 12 years, since 1933 until 1945.

After the surrender of Germany

After the surrender of Germany, the territory of Germany was divided into two countries: The Communist Eastern Germany and The Democratic Western Germany as a result of the Cold War. The most representative symbol of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall was constructed by the German Democratic in order to protect its population of fascist elements. This wall cut the Berlin transport for almost 28 years. 

West Germany was a founding member of the European Union and one of the world’s largest economies, while East Germany was a totalitarian Communist dictatorship that was a satellite of Moscow. On October 3, 1990 East Germany was reunited with West Germany on West Germany’s terms, regaining its full sovereignty.Germany experienced a rapid economic expansion that started in 1950 and became one of the most dominant economies in Europe. Learn German.